Ganja 4 PTSD & Depression

Lead

[-]

Posts: 2636

Nov 29 10 4:57 PM

Tags : None

"As a sufferer of multiple sclerosis since 1999, I use medical marijuana to ease my painful spasms. Marijuana allows me to function normally instead of having to endure the debilitating side effects and mental fogginess that I found accompanied opiate-based painkillers.

I strongly endorse the mission of Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access."–Montel Williams

He says he smoked marijuana because of arthritis pain in a bum ankle and his left hand. For this offense, the 39-year-old who served his country in the United States Army is paying an incomprehensible price...

... In 1996 Foster was convicted of five drug counts in Tulsa, all revolving around the plants he was growing in an underground backyard shelter.

Foster says he had 38 marijuana plants. He said he was growing them to be harvested in rotation --each harvest to yield about 12 ounces.

Oklahoma prosecuters asserted that they had between 50 and 70 plants and that he meant to distribute. A Tulsa jury sentenced him to a little over a year per plant, 70 years for cultivation. It tacked on 20 years for possession in the presence of minors, his children. Foster asserts they never knew...

"What will be done for the returning Afganistan and Iraq War veterans to ensure they receive the best quality health care and counselling services especially for PTSD, employment and housing?"Concerned Vet, Chicago

"I'm so worried about all the veterans who are coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan with PTSD and not getting proper care of the VA. I want to help them transition back to society. Cannabis has proven to help with PTSD. It breaks my heart knowing they suffer because of the lies that sent us into Iraq."- Herbalicious / Change.gov

"I am a Vietnam Vet whose life has been devastated by PTSD. I applied for compensation 3years ago but the VA assumes an adverserial role and tells me I have to prove my stressors. The key people for me are probably dead by now. How is this fair?"Vietnam Vet

"Our returning vets are not getting the care they deserve. Dr's are told not to diagnose PTSD b/c it's too expensive. What will you do to ensure these heros get EVERYTHING they deserve to return to a productive life after they've sacrificed so much?"DrJay61, Arlington, TX

"What will the Obama administration do for those who are homeless and need mental treatment to fully be in a constructive society? PTSD, schizophrenia, depression, ect."David, Boise, ID

"I have sent this information in the past but now will re-phrase as a question. What is being done to prepare for all of the military PTSD needs? I am a trauma specialist and VietNam veteran who is willing and available to help."m2, dallas

Navy veteran Martin Chilcutt served in air intelligence shortly after World War II, where his duties involved testing nuclear weapons. The radiation exposure left him extremely vulnerable to cancer, which he has suffered from — and survived — three times. He has been in remission for ten years, but there is always a chance that his cancer could return.

Traditional medications did little for Martin’s chemotherapy-induced pain and nausea, and some doctors at the Veterans Affairs hospital recommended medical marijuana. Martin was amazed at how effectively and quickly marijuana eased the intense pain and nausea he felt from chemotherapy. One of Martin’s friends, an epileptic veteran, took his doctor’s advice and tried medical marijuana to prevent seizures. Another veteran friend who developed multiple sclerosis used medical marijuana on his doctor’s recommendation to relieve neuropathic pain and muscle spasms.

"With increasing numbers of combat vets being diagnosed with PTSD and other medical conditions requiring long term care, what is your plan to ensure that they receive all care needed?"OIF/OEF VET, northern Maine

"As a USMC veterans wife, I am concerned about our military coming back from wars with no real health care support from the VA, particularly mental heatlh care (PTSD). The VA is back-logged with 400,000 claims! What exactly will you do about this?"Nikki N, American in Europe

"Will Obama support a call to Zionist Israel to stay within the boundaries first set after WWII? Jews were living all over the world and getting along until Fascism. People need treatment for PTSD, not the right to take somebody else's land."mystiryuss, Hamilton, CA

"As a member of a successful PTSD support group for 10+ years. This makes up for 30+ years I have struggled to get attention. We do need better claim processing, be rid of indifferent employees and look at those who know the "ropes" about claims."Pieter J, Las Vegas

"I have a story it goes back many years ago. I was married young 14, children 15 & 18. Raped and kept quiet. I have PTSD, I'm losing my home. I'm terriffied of my government. Please, pardon us, give amninsty please help us. Listen to my story."Hopeless & Teriffied, Baltimore, MD

"VA requires that an illness be tied back to something that started back while they were in the war in order to be considered disabled. What about disabilities that did not show up until later in life, such as adult asthma, ptsd, and depression?"Douglas Gibson Jr, Fairfax, VA

"What steps will the Obama administration take to insure that all veterans, including those in the National Guard and the Reserves, have access to quality health care? What is being done to improve treatment for PTSD and other mental health issues?"Elsbeth, Salem, Oreegon

"Returning veterans are experiencing mental health issues, including PTSD, at startling rates. What will be done to screen and provide followup to 1.8 million new veterans? These vets have earned top-notch care but the current system is failing them."Kathy, Mishawaka, IN

"how about some respect for GI janes who suffers from ptsd mst . Have the VA change the sop their care. Don't have them wear only scrubs with a johnnie gown ,then place them in the same area as the men."LadyVeteran, Westchester, NY

"I was five months pregnant when I was forceably shoved against a wall by a state policeman and I suffer from PTSD from the emotional trauma. PLEASE you MUST change the process of who/how police officers are selected so this may never happen again!"Sabrina, Rhode Island

"How do you expect to field a superior Armed Forces if the government continues to cheat the veterans out of their benefits? It's time to bring home the POWs, treat PTSD, Gulf War Illness, & Agent Orange exposure, & provide for the homeless veterans."Buffalo Britt, Skidmore, MO

"Will Pres.Obama put significant money into mental health clinics for vets in rural communities? They have borne the brunt of war more than any of us, yet they have no resources to grapple with all the suicides and PTSD cases."Babs, Arlington VA

"I have an incredibly successful, drug free treatment for PTSD. How can i get the govt to offer this to returning vets? Who do i speak to? Brad Haire Silver City, NM"dochaire

I want to start by briefly explaining what I mean by the botany of desire, about my approach to plants and their relationship to people, and then get on to marijuana. Those who have the book, Botany of Desire, will recognize some of what I’m saying, at least at the start. But I then want to go a little bit deeper into what we’ve learned and what we’re learning about cannabis and the cannabinoid network and memory since the book has come out. We’re learning things actually almost every day about this very exciting area of brain science.

“Why would we evolve a chemical that would make us forget, that would affect our short-term memory?” That seems maladaptive. His answer was one of the great “a-ha!” moments I had when I was working on this book. He said, “Well, do you really want to remember all the faces you saw in the subway this morning, all the faces in the supermarket?” And I realized at that moment, well, of course, forgetting is not a defect of a mental operation, although it can certainly be that; forgetting is a mental operation. It’s almost as important as remembering.

The five-year study, by Beat Lutz of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany, and his German and Italian colleagues, revealed a previously unknown component of that job -- snuffing out terrifying memories as part of the body's fear-coping mechanism. "Our work shows an involvement of the endogenous cannabinoid system in extinction of fear memory for the first time," Lutz told United Press International.

"My basic hypothesis," he says, "is that Aß is taken up into neurons, where it is phophorylated [garlanded, like tau, with phosphorus and oxygen] and kills them. It's this toxic action that cannabinoids prevent." Milton discovered this by incubating human neurons in culture, and then poisoning them with Aß. When he added cannabinoids to the brew, Aß was apparently no longer toxic.Dr Nathaniel Milton,a biochemist at London's Royal Freeand University College medical school.

"The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) medical corps, in cooperation with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is introducing the use of THC, the active agent in the cannabis plant, which helps relieve post-traumatic stress disorders, on an experimental basis," an army statement said.

Natural molecules that act like the primary active ingredient in marijuana apparently play a key part in helping the brain wipe away fearful memories, perhaps averting undue anxiety and panic attacks, researchers report. The discovery, detailed in the British journal Nature, could lead to the development of psychiatric drugs for the treatment of such fear-based conditions as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder, they said.

"THC reduces anxiety by binding directly to receptors in the brain and resulting in its familiar high sensation. The reaction is too strong, creating marijuana's side effects,"- Dr. Daniele Piomelli,a pharmacology professor at the University of California at IrvineJanuary issue of the journal Nature Medicine.

"Not very long ago, emotion was thought to be the exclusive province of poets.... Now, a new science of emotion is discovering pathways in our brains that create powerful emotional memories. Normally these protect us against repeating harmful encounters and guide us to what's good. But science is just now beginning to understand how emotional memories can also become prisons when hijacked by anxiety or trauma."- National Institute of Mental Health

The IDF will soon begin using cannabis to treat soldiers suffering from combat stress, the military said Wednesday. An army statement said the military medical corps and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem would begin treating victims of post-traumatic stress - commonly known as shell shock - with THC, the active ingredient in the cannabis plant. It said the treatment would begin on an experimental basis. "The use of THC as part of the treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder was approved by military and civilian committees relevant to the subject," the statement said.

MAPS is pleased to announce that funding has been secured for the Missoula Chronic Cannabis Use Research Study. This research project will examine the overall health status of six of the eight surviving federally- supplied medical marijuana patients. These patients receive their medication in canisters containing 300 cigarettes of regulated and federally- grown medical marijuana on a regular basis, according to their FDA- approved protocols.

Military Veterans Say Pot Eases PTSD June 05, 2012Emanuel Herrera returned from war addicted to painkillers and barely able to tolerate his children's voices. The former staff sergeant had enlisted in the Arizona National Guard after 9/11, wanting to help his country. In 2006, while providing security for a convoy near Camp Anaconda in Iraq, his truck hit an improvised bomb. The blast turned the night into day, nearly destroyed his neck, damaged the discs in his back and left him with brain injuries and post-traumatic stress. Read More...

"My doctors shunned me and didn't approve of me doing it," said Herrera, a Purple Heart recipient. "One doctor said I could get some repercussions for doing it. But I did it legally. And I know for a fact — I'm a walking testimonial — that it works."

For Army Troops, Prescription Drugs May Add To The Fog Of WarWhile there was some early, ad hoc use of psychotropic drugs in the Vietnam War, the modern Army psychiatrist's deployment kit is likely to include nine kinds of antidepressants, benzodiazepines for anxiety, four antipsychotics, two kinds of sleep aids, and drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a 2007 review in the journal Military Medicine.

Many Veterans are the Enemy in the D.E.A.th WarSam Stone came home, To his wife and family After serving in the conflict overseas. And the time that he served, Had shattered all his nerves, And left a little shrapnel in his knee. But the morphine eased the pain, And the grass grew round his brain, And gave him all the confidence he lacked, With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back...

VMMAVeterans For Medical Cannabis Access or VMCA, advocates for veterans' rights to access medical cannabis for therapeutic purposes. VMCA encourages all legislative bodies to endorse veterans' rights to use medical cannabis therapeutically and responsibly, and is working to end all prohibitions associated with such use. VMCA is working to preserve and protect the long established doctor-patient relationship including the ability to safely discuss medical cannabis use within the V.A. healthcare system without fear of punishment or retribution.

Veterans Form Pro-Legal Marijuana GroupAfter Petition To Allow Medical Marijuana For PTSD Is DeniedA group of Colorado veterans are forming a pro-marijuana legalization group after state health officials denied a second petition to allow medical marijuana as treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

At a noon news conference today at the El Paso County Court House in Colorado Springs, veterans gathered to announce the formation of "Veterans for 64," a group in support of Colorado's Amendment 64 ballot measure which seeks to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use. continued

As a combat veteran, I served our country in Iraq, and I am painfully aware of the devastating impact PTSD has had on veterans and their families. These brave soldiers -- and the many non-soldiers who suffer from PTSD -- deserve legal and safe access to this substance that has been proven to be therapeutically effective in treating this condition. I hope Coloradans will join me in voting Yes on 64, and help veterans and others with PTSD get access to marijuana without fear of arrest and prosecution.Iraq War veteran Joe Hatcher, on whose behalf the PTSD petition was filed, made this statement about the group's support of A64

"My doctors shunned me and didn't approve of me doing it," said Herrera, a Purple Heart recipient. "One doctor said I could get some repercussions for doing it. But I did it legally. And I know for a fact — I'm a walking testimonial — that it works."Emanuel Herrera

Sep 28, 2012Colorado Veterans’ Group Endorses Amendment 64A pro-medical marijuana veterans’ organization gathered in front of the courthouse in Colorado Springs on Thursday to demand that PTSD sufferers be allowed to use medical marijuana under state law.

On the 11th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, we take a look at the invisible wounds of war here at home. Since the war began on Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11th attacks, at least 2,000 U.S. soldiers have died. Some 2.4 million U.S. soldiers have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the psychological toll of the wars is mounting. Last year, the Veterans Administration treated almost 100,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and soldier suicides reached an all-time high this year. In Colorado Springs, the commanders at Fort Carson have come under scrutiny for its handling of mental health concerns, with a 2010 joint NPR-ProPublica investigation finding that as many as 40 percent of Fort Carson soldiers had mild brain injuries missed by Army health screenings. Meanwhile in 2009, the Colorado Springs Gazette published a startling series called “Casualties of War,” written by our guest, investigative reporter Dave Philipps. His book, "Lethal Warriors: When the New Band of Brothers Came Home,” shows how a wave of violence swept across Colorado Springs when the 506th Infantry Regiment, known as "the Band of Brothers,” returned home from their first tour in Iraq. We are also joined by Georg-Andreas Pogány, a retired Army sergeant who is now an independent veterans’ advocate and investigator, and Graham Clumpner, an Afghanistan War veteran and Colorado regional organizer for Iraq Veterans Against the War. Democracy Now! is on the road, broadcasting from Colorado Springs, the home of five major military installations — Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Schriever Air Force Base and the Cheyenne Mountain Air Station. [Includes rush transcript]

Against their own policy, the Department of Veteran Affairs would rather treat veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder with addictive benzodiazepines tranquilizers such as Valium and Xanax - instead of using prohibited medical marijuana, despite studies showing cannabis to be a safer alternative.

Current Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs guidelines caution providers from using benzodiazepines tranquilizers as a treatment for combat related PTSD. "Once initiated, benzodiazepines can be very difficult, if not impossible, to discontinue due to significant withdrawal symptoms compounded by the underlying PTSD symptoms," the VA/Department of Defense guidelines state.More >>

"The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) medical corps, in cooperation with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is introducing the use of THC, the active agent in the cannabis plant, which helps relieve post-traumatic stress disorders, on an experimental basis," an army statement said.

Pot-Like Chemical Helps Beat FearNatural molecules that act like the primary active ingredient in marijuana apparently play a key part in helping the brain wipe away fearful memories, perhaps averting undue anxiety and panic attacks, researchers report. The discovery, detailed in the British journal Nature, could lead to the development of psychiatric drugs for the treatment of such fear-based conditions as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder, they said.

Psychedelic Science Conference Examines MDMA Treatment for PTSDResearchers at the University of Colorado in Boulder have gotten approval for a Phase II study of MDMA with people with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD, but it wasn’t easy, they said. Sometimes the regulatory niggling borders on the absurd, they said.

The long-maligned field of U.S. medical cannabis research took a step forward with the formal government approval of a study on the efficacy of marijuana to treat chronic post-traumatic stress disorder in war veterans.

Dr. Rick Doblin, executive director of the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in Santa Cruz, Calif., said today in an interview that the Food and Drug Administration on April 28 approved MAPS’ protocol for a study of smoked and vaporized marijuana use for symptoms of PTSD.

Cannabis catch-22PTSD patients could be dropped from state's medical programNat Dean, shown with her assistance dog, Tommy, at their home in Santa Fe on Friday, developed chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder from injuries she sustained in a car crash in 1984. At one point, she was taking 27 different medications to ease her symptoms. She says the cannabis she uses through the state’s Medical Cannabis Program is an alternative tool that helps her more than all of her previous medications combined.

Sam Stone came home,To his wife and familyAfter serving in the conflict overseas.And the time that he served,Had shattered all his nerves,And left a little shrapnel in his knee.But the morphine eased the pain,And the grass grew round his brain,And gave him all the confidence he lacked,With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back. There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes...

Some California Needle Exchange ProgramsEmerge from Shadows as New Law Takes EffectThe dawn of 2000 brought a glimmer of hope to California’s 24 syringe exchange programs and a wait-and-see attitude from several veterans of one of drug policy reform’s highest-stakes battlegrounds.

Access to medical marijuana continues to expand as more and more states embrace the healing power of the herb. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of veterans of America's decade of wars are returning home burdened with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition as old as war itself, but that in years past went either unrecognized or was seen as a soldier's personal failure, his "shell shock" or "battle fatigue." Could medical marijuana help?

Scott Murphy of Newton, Massachusetts, is an Iraq combat veteran who uses medical marijuana for chronic pain. "I use medical cannabis for chronic pain from a motorcycle accident that was aggravated by my military service," Murphy said. "I had a severe accident when I was 18, I have a rod in my femur and four plates in my hip. The pain is to the point where it is affecting my walk."

But Murphy also wants to ensure that his state's new medical marijuana law provides for access to the plant for PTSD. A man Murphy described as his "best friend," a fellow veteran, committed suicide at age 22 after being kicked out of the Army for misconduct related to his mental issues rather than being given a medical discharge as promised.

"He had been showing signs of PTSD," Murphy recalled. "He was a good soldier, but when he got back from his second deployment he was having problems. When they kicked him out of the Army, he went home and killed himself."

Medical marijuana for PTSD remains in New Mexico,Health Department saysBy William Breathes in Medical, NewsWednesday, May 1, 2013Nearly 40 percent of the nearly 9,090 medical marijuana patients in New Mexico are on the registry for post-traumatic stress disorder. That means nearly 3,700 percent of the New Mexico is relieved today after the Department of Health ruled that PTSD will remain a qualifying condition for the state medical marijuana registry. More >>

PTSD Sufferers Qualify for Medical MarijuanaCN Staff October 14, 2013By Alanna Durkin, Associated Press Augusta -- A new state law allowing veterans and others suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to be prescribed medical marijuana will help them live a normal life, advocates and veterans say.

Under the law that went into effect Wednesday, PTSD joins cancer, glaucoma, hepatitis C and others on the list of conditions patients must have to qualify for medical marijuana use in Maine.

Hundreds of Maine veterans already use marijuana to treat PTSD, but they weren’t previously able to get it from their doctors, said Paul McCarrier, legislative liaison for the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine.

“This unties the hands of doctors to allow them to treat their patients,” he said.

Retired Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan Begin is one of those veterans already using the drug. Begin lost 4 inches of his right arm, including his elbow, from an IED explosion during his second tour in Iraq in 2004. He started using medical marijuana to deal with the pain, but it has also helped manage his PTSD, which caused flashbacks and nightmares, he said.

“It balances me,” the 33-year-old Belfast resident said. “Instead of being on a roller coaster ... you’re more even keeled. ... You don’t get too far up, and you don’t get too far down.”

Maine voters legalized marijuana for medical purposes in 1999 and approved a law creating a statewide network of marijuana dispensaries 10 years later. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana use, but only six other states allow its use for PTSD, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a D.C.-based advocacy group.

Gordon Smith, executive vice president of the Maine Medical Association, said the question of medical marijuana use for PTSD treatment is contentious among the medical community.

“We heard both from doctors who felt that particularly people coming back from Afghanistan might be assisted (by it), and we heard from doctors who thought there was not a sound evidentiary basis for it,” Smith said.

Because the drug is still illegal under federal law, there is a lack of federally funded studies on medical marijuana. That has been a challenge to understanding its impact on various conditions, Smith said.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs changed its policy on medical marijuana in 2011 to ensure veterans using medical marijuana in states where it’s legal aren’t punished, said Michael Krawitz, director of the Virginia-based group Veterans for Cannabis Access. But VA doctors still can’t recommend medical marijuana for treatment or provide documentation to get it.

McCarrier said he suspects the new law will bring many new patients into Maine’s medical marijuana program, which had more than 1,450 patients registered with the state in 2012.

Efforts to expand the program to include more qualifying conditions will likely continue in Maine. The first draft of the proposed law would have allowed doctors to prescribe marijuana for any condition they deemed necessary. But the Maine Medical Association opposed that, saying that expanding the program to virtually every condition could essentially legalize recreational marijuana use.

Begin said the new law will be a huge step forward for veterans struggling with PTSD. That’s because marijuana doesn’t cause the negative side effects that prescription medication can, like feelings of weakness or depression, but instead allows patients to stay medicated while remaining social and productive, he said.

“Just because they have to take medication, they shouldn’t be put on the sidelines of life,” he said.

And the bewildered herd is still believingEverything we’ve been told from our birthHell they won’t lie to meNot on my own damn TVBut how much is a liars word worthAnd whatever happened to peace on earth~Willie Nelson

Many Veterans are the Enemy of the D.E.A.th WarSam Stone came home, To his wife and family After serving in the conflict overseas. And the time that he served, Had shattered all his nerves, And left a little shrapnel in his knee. But the morphine eased the pain, And the grass grew round his brain, And gave him all the confidence he lacked, With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back...

Sam Stone's welcome home Didn't last too long. He went to work when he'd spent his last dime And Sammy took to stealing When he got that empty feeling For a hundred dollar habit without overtime. And the gold rolled through his veins Like a thousand railroad trains, And eased his mind in the hours that he chose, While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothes...

Sam Stone was alone When he popped his last balloon Climbing walls while sitting in a chair Well, he played his last request While the room smelled just like D.E.A.th With an overdose hovering in the air But life had lost its fun And there was nothing to be done But trade his house that he bought on the G.I. Bill For a flag draped casket on a local heroes' hill...

There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose. Little pitchers have big ears, Don't stop to count the years, Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. Mmmmm....Sam Stone * John Prine * Souvenirs

Sterile Syringes Prevent Spreading Disease... Duh!Value of needle exchanges accepted by U.S. governmentWhite House moves to fund needle exchanges as drug treatmentThe Obama administration has designated intravenous needle exchanges as a drug treatment program, allowing federal money set aside to treat addictions to be used to distribute syringes to narcotics users.

Health Canada Approves Heroin MaintenanceSep 26 2013Last Friday, Health Canada used some creative rule-reading to approve a program that would provide prescription heroin to a small number of hard-core users, and the Conservative health minister isn't happy.

The University of Arizona now has federal permission to study medical cannabis.Since the beginning of Arizona's medical marijuana program, people have petitioned the state health department to add post-traumatic stress disorder as a qualifying condition for medical pot. However, PTSD and other conditions aren't added to the list, due to a lack of scientific research on the risks and benefits of using marijuana to treat those conditions. But that might change.

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times reported that a University of Arizona researcher has gotten approval from the federal government to study pot's effects on vets with post-traumatic stress: continued

For years, scientists who have wanted to study how marijuana might be used to treat illness say they have been stymied by resistance from federal drug officials. The Arizona study had long ago been sanctioned by the Food and Drug Administration, but under federal rules, such experiments can use marijuana only from a single, government-run farm in Mississippi. Researchers say the agency that oversees the farm, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has long been hostile to proposals aimed at examining possible benefits of the drug.

The proposed University of Arizona scientific study about using marijuana to treat veterans with post traumatic stress disorder has the green light from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

It has support from the Department of Health & Human Services.

It passed the Arizona House of Representatives.

But one person, State Senator Kimberly Yee of Phoenix has stopped the bill in it's tracks.

The study organizers say it is aimed at veterans suffering from PTSD that have not been helped by other treatments. They say it would not be funded with state tax money, but rather through the sale of medical marijuana cards.

Senator Yee chairs the senate education committee, the recipient of the bill.

The Senate Education Committee has a hearing scheduled for Thursday morning at 9 a.m. and Yee has said she will not let them consider the study.

Veterans like Ricardo Pereyda, who served as a U.S. Military policeman in blood soaked Iraq, suffer from PTSD, say cannabis helps them cope with the disorder.

"There are a hundred scenarios in my head at any time and using cannabis quiets that, it allows me to go through my day being productive," said Veteran Ricardo Pereyda.

The Arizona House bill funding the study sailed through the house with a vote of 52 to 5.

Yee's opposition to the bill is a crushing blow to veterans who say they're desperate for relief from PTSD.

"When they heard this week Kimberly Yee was refusing to allow this bill on her education committee agenda they were astounded, they were angered," said Dr. Sue Sisley.

Senator Yee's biggest problem with the bill is she feels backers of the scientific study want to legalize marijuana, as in Colorado or Washington state.

Senator Yee says she hasn't been able to get in touch with her republican colleagues in the house.

"I actually have not heard from that sponsor to share what the issues are," said Senator Yee.

Republican Ethan Orr, the bill's house sponsor, is on an Arizona trade mission in Mexico today.

He sent us this statement: "Both myself and numerous community leaders have reached out to members of the senate regarding this bill, and Kimberly Yee is the only one who has not even returned my phone call. It is unfortunate for the democratic process that one person has chosen to not hear the bill."

Senator Yee prefers spending the medical marijuana card money on a public service announcement campaign urging kids not to smoke pot.

She is backed by Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk.

FOX 10 asked Senator Yee why she won't just let her committee consider the medical marijuana PTSD bill and argue over it on the merits, since it passed the house so overwhelmingly.

300000 Iraq & Afghan Vets Suffer PTSD & DepressionDN Report
300,000 US troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from
major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. This, according to a
new study by the RAND Corporation. Researchers say nearly 20 percent of
the troops who served in the war zones are suffering PTSD and
depression, but only half of them have sought treatment. RAND researcher
Terri Tanielian said, “Unless they receive appropriate and effective
care for these mental health conditions, there will be long-term
consequences for them and for the nation.” The study also estimates that
320,000 service members had experienced a possible traumatic brain
injury while deployed. Researchers say female soldiers and reservists
had the highest rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and major
depression. Meanwhile, in Texas, the Dallas VA Medical Center has been
forced to close its psychiatric ward to new patients after the suicides
of four veterans this year.

IDF To Treat Shell Shock With Cannabis Israel August 05, 2004
The IDF will soon begin using cannabis to treat soldiers suffering from
combat stress, the military said Wednesday. An army statement said the
military medical corps and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem would
begin treating victims of post-traumatic stress - commonly known as
shell shock - with THC, the active ingredient in the cannabis plant. It
said the treatment would begin on an experimental basis. The use of THC
as part of the treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder was approved
by military and civilian committees relevant to the subject, the
statement said.

Cannabis, the Importance of Forgettinghttp://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/1620“Why would we evolve a chemical that would make us forget, that would affect our short-term memory?” That seems maladaptive. His answer was one of the great “a-ha!” moments I had when I was working on this book. He said, “Well, do you really want to remember all the faces you saw in the subway this morning, all the faces in the supermarket?” And I realized at that moment, well, of course, forgetting is not a defect of a mental operation, although it can certainly be that; forgetting is a mental operation. It’s almost as important as remembering. He believes that there is another see-saw there. There is a chemical that helps us lock in memory, and anandamide works on the other side to make us get rid of memory. This also relates to memory loss with regard to trauma. We need cannab-inoids to forget horrible things that have happened.

'Cannabis' Acts as AntidepressantOctober 13, 2005 : BBC News United Kingdom
A chemical found in cannabis can act like an antidepressant,
researchers have found. A team from Canada's University of Sasketchewan
suggest the compound causes nerve cells to regenerate. The Journal of
Clinical Investigation study showed rats given a cannabinoid were less
anxious and less depressed. But UK experts warned other conflicting
research had linked cannabis, and other cannabinoids, to an increased
risk of depression and anxiety.

"One
of the best effects Marijuana can have in any terminal illness is to
produce a degree of euphoria which boosts morale in a depressing
situation."-- Dr.Anthony Henman

Seeking Rest From the Terrors, New York Pops Pills
New Yorkers are increasingly turning to sedation to help them escape
the nightmares created by the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade
Center. According to doctors and pharmacists in the city, New York's
denizens--many grieving for lost friends and family--are looking to
medicine more than ever before to help fall asleep.

Sam Stone came home, To his wife and family After serving in the
conflict overseas. And the time that he served, Had shattered all his
nerves, And left a little shrapnel in his knee. But the morphine eased
the pain, And the grass grew round his brain, And gave him all the
confidence he lacked, With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back...

Sam Stone's welcome home Didn't last too long. He went to work when
he'd spent his last dime And Sammy took to stealing When he got that
empty feeling For a hundred dollar habit without overtime. And the gold
rolled through his veins Like a thousand railroad trains, And eased his
mind in the hours that he chose, While the kids ran around wearin' other
peoples' clothes...

Sam Stone was alone When he popped his
last balloon Climbing walls while sitting in a chair Well, he played his
last request While the room smelled just like D.E.A.th With an overdose
hovering in the air But life had lost its fun And there was nothing to
be done But trade his house that he bought on the G.I. Bill For a flag
draped casket on a local heroes' hill...

There's a hole in
daddy's arm where all the money goes, Jesus Christ died for nothin' I
suppose. Little pitchers have big ears, Don't stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. Mmmmm....Sam Stone * John Prine * Souvenirs

Addiction Treatment Strives for Legitimacy
Some drugs are made in laboratories. Others, like penicillin, are
discovered by accident. And then there's ibogaine, a sacramental
substance from West Africa that some say interrupts heroin, cocaine, and
other addictions.

I admit to being a deeply flawed and scarred individual. I have shared several links this morning regarding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to help people better understand what it is like to live inside a PTSD mind and provide some do’s and don’ts on how to deal with and help someone suffering with this mental illness. I have also provided some links on Passive–aggressive behavior to
shed some light on how someone exhibiting passive aggressive tendencies
could easily escalate the symptoms of someone suffering from PTSD. I
hope this information will be helpful to my friends in dealing with me
and will also shed some light on the dynamics of interactions with
others and why things have spiraled out of control over the past 2 years
or so.

I was sure to post more articles about ptsd than passive aggressive behaviors
to take more responsibility for being an individual with ptsd than i am
laying blame for passive aggressive behaviors that tend to push my ptsd
buttons.

Lets look at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder first.

_________________________

What is post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD?

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that some people get after seeing or living through a dangerous event.

When in danger, it’s natural to feel
afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to
prepare to defend against the danger or to avoid it. This
“fight-or-flight” response is a healthy reaction meant to protect a
person from harm. But in PTSD, this reaction is changed or damaged.
People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re
no longer in danger.

Who gets PTSD?

Anyone can get PTSD at any age. This
includes war veterans and survivors of physical and sexual assault,
abuse, accidents, disasters, and many other serious events.

Not everyone with PTSD has been through a
dangerous event. Some people get PTSD after a friend or family member
experiences danger or is harmed. The sudden, unexpected death of a loved
one can also cause PTSD.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

PTSD can cause many symptoms. These symptoms can be grouped into three categories:

1. Re-experiencing symptoms:Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating
Bad dreams
Frightening thoughts.
Re-experiencing symptoms may cause problems in a person’s everyday
routine. They can start from the person’s own thoughts and feelings.
Words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the event can also
trigger re-experiencing.

2. Avoidance symptoms:
Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the experience
Feeling emotionally numb
Feeling strong guilt, depression, or worry
Losing interest in activities that were enjoyable in the past
Having trouble remembering the dangerous event.
Things that remind a person of the traumatic event
can trigger avoidance symptoms. These symptoms may cause a person to
change his or her personal routine. For example, after a bad car
accident, a person who usually drives may avoid driving or riding in a
car.

3. Hyperarousal symptoms:
Being easily startled
Feeling tense or “on edge”
Having difficulty sleeping, and/or having angry outbursts.
Hyperarousal symptoms are usually constant, instead of being triggered
by things that remind one of the traumatic event. They can make the
person feel stressed and angry. These symptoms may make it hard to do
daily tasks, such as sleeping, eating, or concentrating.

It’s natural to have some of these
symptoms after a dangerous event. Sometimes people have very serious
symptoms that go away after a few weeks. This is called acute stress
disorder, or ASD.
When the symptoms last more than a few weeks and become an ongoing
problem, they might be PTSD. Some people with PTSD don’t show any
symptoms for weeks or months.

Do children react differently than adults?

Children and teens can have extreme
reactions to trauma, but their symptoms may not be the same as adults.1
In very young children, these symptoms can include:

Bedwetting, when they’d learned how to use the toilet before
Forgetting how or being unable to talk
Acting out the scary event during playtime
Being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult.
Older children and teens usually show symptoms more like those seen in
adults. They may also develop disruptive, disrespectful, or destructive
behaviors. Older children and teens may feel guilty for not preventing
injury or deaths. They may also have thoughts of revenge. For more
information, see the NIMH booklets on helping children cope with
violence and disasters.

How is PTSD detected?

A doctor who has experience helping people
with mental illnesses, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, can
diagnose PTSD. The diagnosis is made after the doctor talks with the
person who has symptoms of PTSD.

To be diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have all of the following for at least 1 month:
At least one re-experiencing symptom
At least three avoidance symptoms
At least two hyperarousal symptoms
Symptoms that make it hard to go about daily life, go to school or work, be with friends, and take care of important tasks.
Why do some people get PTSD and other people do not?

It is important to remember that not
everyone who lives through a dangerous event gets PTSD. In fact, most
will not get the disorder.

Many factors play a part in whether a person will get PTSD. Some of these are risk factors
that make a person more likely to get PTSD. Other factors, called
resilience factors, can help reduce the risk of the disorder. Some of
these risk and resilience factors are present before the trauma and
others become important during and after a traumatic event.

Risk factors for PTSD include: 2
Living through dangerous events and traumas
Having a history of mental illness
Getting hurt
Seeing people hurt or killed
Feeling horror, helplessness, or extreme fear
Having little or no social support after the event
Dealing with extra stress after the event, such as loss of a loved one, pain and injury, or loss of a job or home.
Resilience factors that may reduce the risk of PTSD include: 3
Seeking out support from other people, such as friends and family
Finding a support group after a traumatic event
Feeling good about one’s own actions in the face of danger
Having a coping strategy, or a way of getting through the bad event and learning from it
Being able to act and respond effectively despite feeling fear.
Researchers are studying the importance of various risk and resilience
factors. With more study, it may be possible someday to predict who is
likely to get PTSD and prevent it.

How is PTSD treated?

The main treatments for people with PTSD
are psychotherapy (“talk” therapy), medications, or both. Everyone is
different, so a treatment that works for one person may not work for
another. It is important for anyone with PTSD to be treated by a mental
health care provider who is experienced with PTSD. Some people with PTSD
need to try different treatments to find what works for their symptoms.

If someone with PTSD is going through an
ongoing trauma, such as being in an abusive relationship, both of the
problems need to be treated. Other ongoing problems can include panic
disorder, depression, substance abuse, and feeling suicidal.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is “talk” therapy. It
involves talking with a mental health professional to treat a mental
illness. Psychotherapy can occur one-on-one or in a group. Talk therapy
treatment for PTSD usually lasts 6 to 12 weeks, but can take more time.
Research shows that support from family and friends can be an important
part of therapy.

Many types of psychotherapy can help
people with PTSD. Some types target the symptoms of PTSD directly. Other
therapies focus on social, family, or job-related problems. The doctor
or therapist may combine different therapies depending on each person’s
needs.

One helpful therapy is called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. There are several parts to CBT, including:

Exposure therapy. This therapy helps
people face and control their fear. It exposes them to the trauma they
experienced in a safe way. It uses mental imagery, writing, or visits to
the place where the event happened. The therapist uses these tools to
help people with PTSD cope with their feelings.
Cognitive restructuring. This therapy helps people make sense of the bad
memories. Sometimes people remember the event differently than how it
happened. They may feel guilt or shame about what is not their fault.
The therapist helps people with PTSD look at what happened in a
realistic way.
Stress inoculation training. This therapy tries to reduce PTSD symptoms
by teaching a person how to reduce anxiety. Like cognitive
restructuring, this treatment helps people look at their memories in a
healthy way.
Other types of treatment can also help people with PTSD. People with
PTSD should talk about all treatment options with their therapist.

How Talk Therapies Help People Overcome PTSD
Talk therapies teach people helpful ways to react to frightening events
that trigger their PTSD symptoms. Based on this general goal, different
types of therapy may:

Teach about trauma and its effects.
Use relaxation and anger control skills.
Provide tips for better sleep, diet, and exercise habits.
Help people identify and deal with guilt, shame, and other feelings about the event.
Focus on changing how people react to their PTSD symptoms. For example,
therapy helps people visit places and people that are reminders of the
trauma.

What efforts are under way to improve the detection and treatment of PTSD?

Researchers have learned a lot in the last
decade about fear, stress, and PTSD. Scientists are also learning about
how people form memories. This is important because creating very
powerful fear-related memories seems to be a major part of PTSD.
Researchers are also exploring how people can create “safety” memories
to replace the bad memories that form after a trauma. NIMH’s goal in
supporting this research is to improve treatment and find ways to
prevent the disorder.

PTSD research also includes the following examples:
Using powerful new research methods, such as brain imaging and the study
of genes, to find out more about what leads to PTSD, when it happens,
and who is most at risk.
Trying to understand why some people get PTSD and others do not. Knowing
this can help health care professionals predict who might get PTSD and
provide early treatment.
Focusing on ways to examine pre-trauma, trauma, and post-trauma risk and resilience factors all at once.
Looking for treatments that reduce the impact traumatic memories have on our emotions.
Improving the way people are screened for PTSD, given early treatment, and tracked after a mass trauma.
Developing new approaches in self-testing and screening to help people know when it’s time to call a doctor.
Testing ways to help family doctors detect and treat PTSD or refer people with PTSD to mental health specialists.
For more information on PTSD research, please see NIMH’s PTSD Research online Fact Sheet or the PTSD Clinical Trials Web site.

How can I help a friend or relative who has PTSD?

If you know someone who has PTSD, it
affects you too. The first and most important thing you can do to help a
friend or relative is to help him or her get the right diagnosis and
treatment. You may need to make an appointment for your friend or
relative and go with him or her to see the doctor. Encourage him or her
to stay in treatment, or to seek different treatment if his or her
symptoms don’t get better after 6 to 8 weeks.

To help a friend or relative, you can:
Offer emotional support, understanding, patience, and encouragement.
Learn about PTSD so you can understand what your friend or relative is experiencing.
Talk to your friend or relative, and listen carefully.
Listen to feelings your friend or relative expresses and be understanding of situations that may trigger PTSD symptoms.
Invite your friend or relative out for positive distractions such as walks, outings, and other activities.
Remind your friend or relative that, with time and treatment, he or she can get better.
Never ignore comments about your friend or relative harming him or
herself, and report such comments to your friend’s or relative’s
therapist or doctor.

How can I help myself?

It may be very hard to take that first
step to help yourself. It is important to realize that although it may
take some time, with treatment, you can get better.

To help yourself:
Talk to your doctor about treatment options.
Engage in mild activity or exercise to help reduce stress.
Set realistic goals for yourself.
Break up large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, and do what you can as you can.
Try to spend time with other people and confide in a trusted friend or
relative. Tell others about things that may trigger symptoms.
Expect your symptoms to improve gradually, not immediately.
Identify and seek out comforting situations, places, and people.

Helping Someone with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

It can be hard to handle having a close
friend or family member with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They
may struggle with irritability, have problems sleeping at night, be
unable to focus, feel depressed or act anxious most of the time. In
fact, for some people the symptoms can be so severe that treatment at a
certified post traumatic stress disorder treatment center may be
necessary. PTSD treatment facilities have been shown to be very
beneficial to the health and overall well-being of those with this
disorder.

How can you deal with this situation? The
following steps can serve as helpful tips for dealing with and loving
someone with PTSD.

Learn everything you can about PTSD. By knowing all of this information, you will be better able to handle the situation.
Exercise together. Exercising strengthens the overall body and improves health.
Don’t judge them.
Be there to listen. Make your self available to them when they need to talk. Be an active listener by giving input when needed.
Show respect. Respect them even though they may be having a difficult time at the moment.
Look out for them. Show you care by recognizing when everything doesn’t seem to be okay.
Allow room for mistakes. Recognize that they will make mistakes, but always be there to forgive them and offer help if needed.
Talk positively.
Give them their space. Your loved one may not always want your opinion
on everything, be willing to step aside every once in a while and give
them some space.
Be active together. Planning and participating in family activities can
be a fun way to interact and show them you don’t look down on them.
Love them.
Don’t belittle them. While it is important to not expect too much, not
expecting anything at all is unnecessary and can be hurtful.
Be patient.
Avoid harsh remarks. Stay away from telling your friend or family member
to get over their problems, this may only make problems worse.
Encourage their self-esteem.
Take care of yourself. Remember that you can’t take care of someone else
if you haven’t dealt with yourself first. In many cases seeking out a
friend to help you is beneficial.
In serious situations, it may be helpful to seek out the advice and
assistance of a medical professional. In addition, post traumatic stress
disorder treatment centers are available for anyone suffering from this
disorder. A problem like PTSD can escalate quickly. If help is not
sought out soon enough the problem may become increasingly worse to the
point where full recovery may never be possible.

Helping a Family Member Who Has PTSD

When someone has PTSD, it can change
family life. The person with PTSD may act differently and get angry
easily. He or she may not want to do things you used to enjoy together.
You may feel scared and frustrated about the changes you see in your
loved one. You also may feel angry about what’s happening to your
family, or wonder if things will ever go back to the way they were.
These feelings and worries are common in people who have a family member
with PTSD.
It is important to learn about PTSD so you can understand why it
happened, how it is treated, and what you can do to help. But you also
need to take care of yourself. Changes in family life are stressful, and
taking care of yourself will make it easier to cope.
How can I help?

You may feel helpless, but there are many things you can do. Nobody expects you to have all the answers.
Here are ways you can help:
Learn as much as you can about PTSD. Knowing how PTSD affects people may
help you understand what your family member is going through. The more
you know, the better you and your family can handle PTSD.
Offer to go to doctor visits with your family member. You can help keep
track of medicine and therapy, and you can be there for support.
Tell your loved one you want to listen and that you also understand if he or she doesn’t feel like talking.
Plan family activities together, like having dinner or going to a movie.
Take a walk, go for a bike ride, or do some other physical activity
together. Exercise is important for health and helps clear your mind.
Encourage contact with family and close friends. A support system will
help your family member get through difficult changes and stressful
times.
Your family member may not want your help. If this happens, keep in mind
that withdrawal can be a symptom of PTSD. A person who withdraws may
not feel like talking, taking part in group activities, or being around
other people. Give your loved one space, but tell him or her that you
will always be ready to help.
How can I deal with anger or violent behavior?

Your family member may feel angry about many things. Anger is a
normal reaction to trauma, but it can hurt relationships and make it
hard to think clearly. Anger also can be frightening.
If anger leads to violent behavior or abuse, it’s dangerous. Go to a
safe place and call for help right away. Make sure children are in a
safe place as well.
It’s hard to talk to someone who is angry. One thing you can do is set
up a time-out system. This helps you find a way to talk even while
angry. Here’s one way to do this.
Agree that either of you can call a time-out at any time.
Agree that when someone calls a time-out, the discussion must stop right then.
Decide on a signal you will use to call a time-out. The signal can be a word that you say or a hand signal.
Agree to tell each other where you will be and what you will be doing
during the time-out. Tell each other what time you will come back.
While you are taking a time-out, don’t focus on how angry you feel.
Instead, think calmly about how you will talk things over and solve the
problem.
After you come back

Take turns talking about solutions to the problem. Listen without interrupting.
Use statements starting with “I,” such as “I think” or “I feel.” Using “you” statements can sound accusing.
Be open to each other’s ideas. Don’t criticize each other.
Focus on things you both think will work. It’s likely you will both have good ideas.
Together, agree which solutions you will use.
How can I communicate better?

You and your family may have trouble talking about feelings, worries,
and everyday problems. Here are some ways to communicate better:
Be clear and to the point.
Be positive. Blame and negative talk won’t help the situation.
Be a good listener. Don’t argue or interrupt. Repeat what you hear to
make sure you understand, and ask questions if you need to know more.
Put your feelings into words. Your loved one may not know you are sad or frustrated unless you are clear about your feelings.
Help your family member put feelings into words. Ask, “Are you feeling angry? Sad? Worried?”
Ask how you can help.
Don’t give advice unless you are asked.
If your family is having a lot of trouble talking things over, consider
trying family therapy. Family therapy is a type of counseling that
involves your whole family. A therapist helps you and your family
communicate, maintain good relationships, and cope with tough emotions.
During therapy, each person can talk about how a problem is affecting
the family. Family therapy can help family members understand and cope
with PTSD.
Your health professional or a religious or social services organization
can help you find a family therapist who specializes in PTSD.
How can I take care of myself?

Helping a person with PTSD can be hard on you. You may have your own
feelings of fear and anger about the trauma. You may feel guilty because
you wish your family member would just forget his or her problems and
get on with life. You may feel confused or frustrated because your loved
one has changed, and you may worry that your family life will never get
back to normal.
All of this can drain you. It can affect your health and make it hard
for you to help your loved one. If you’re not careful, you may get sick
yourself, become depressed, or burn out and stop helping your loved one.
To help yourself, you need to take care of yourself and have other people help you.
Care for yourself

Don’t feel guilty or feel that you have to know it all. Remind
yourself that nobody has all the answers. It’s normal to feel helpless
at times.
Don’t feel bad if things change slowly. You cannot change anyone. People have to change themselves.
Take care of your physical and mental health. If you feel yourself getting sick or often feel sad and hopeless, see your doctor.
Don’t give up your outside life. Make time for activities and hobbies you enjoy. Continue to see your friends.
Take time to be by yourself. Find a quiet place to gather your thoughts and “recharge.”
Get regular exercise, even just a few minutes a day. Exercise is a healthy way to deal with stress.
Eat healthy foods. When you are busy, it may seem easier to eat fast
food than to prepare healthy meals. But healthy foods will give you more
energy to carry you through the day.
Remember the good things. It’s easy to get weighed down by worry and
stress. But don’t forget to see and celebrate the good things that
happen to you and your family.
Get help

During difficult times, it is important to have people in your life
who you can depend on. These people are your support network. They can
help you with everyday jobs, like taking a child to school, or by giving
you love and understanding.
You may get support from:
Family members
Friends, coworkers, and neighbors
Members of your religious or spiritual group
Support groups
Doctors and other health professionals

Imagine this: you’re allergic to cats.
You’ve just been exposed to cat dander and your eyes are a soggy, drippy
red mess. You sneeze uncontrollably multiple times in a row. Your skin
becomes itchy, red, and full of welts. You’re feeling pretty miserable.

A friend walks up to you.

“Hey, no worries,” he exclaims casually, “there’s nothing to be allergic to!”

Uh, what?

“Sure there is — I’m allergic to cats,” you’d probably say.

“Nah,” says your friend, “just stop sneezing. You’ll be okay.”

“What?! I can’t just STOP sneezing on a dime,” you retort.

“Sure you can. There’s nothing wrong with you,” he insists.

“Uhm, care to explain these welts, then? And the red eyes? And the sneezing?!”

Sounds frustrating, doesn’t it? If you
suffer from allergies, you know that a reaction to an allergen can
produce a truly miserable day. And while panic disorder is no allergy,
it produces its own unique brand of misery, too.

And that misery can be compounded by how
others react to a panic attack. Hopefully, no one would ever tell an
allergy sufferer to “just stop sneezing” or to “make those welts go
away.” It would be ineffective and frustrating advice.

However, as a panic sufferer myself, I’ve
received a lot of ineffective and frustrating advice over the past few
years. Most of it is delivered sincerely, with the absolute best of
intentions, from people whom I care about. So, it often hurts to let
these people know that their advice isn’t helping (and perhaps is even
making the panic attack worse!). It’s not easy. If you haven’t yet
developed a thick enough skin to ignore the below advice (I sure
haven’t!), please share the below tips with family and friends who care
about you.

This post was inspired by this list of things you shouldn’t say to someone who is depressed.

You say: “Just calm down.”
We want to say: “Okay, HOW!?”

Let’s pick this one apart piece by piece.
“Just” implies that the act of calming down is a simple one. It’s not.
For someone in the midst of panic, calming down can be an
extraordinarily difficult task. For you, it might be effortless; for
those of us with panic disorder, it might involve medication, breathing
exercises, distraction, rituals, positive self-talk and reassurance,
and/or time.

The “calm down” part is also problematic
in and of itself. If you don’t have any tools, you can’t build a house,
right? Unless you can construct some tools from thin air, you’re out of
luck. Likewise, if we don’t have any tools or techniques (like the
breathing exercises mentioned above) that can help us to become calmer,
we can’t “build” anything. We can’t construct a ladder that will allow
us to climb our way out of a panic attack. And, the added stress of
being unable to comply with a “calm down” request might compound our
anxiety.

Better response: Can I help you calm down? Is there anything I can do?

You say: “Why can’t you just relax?”
We want to say: “It’s a bit more complicated than you think!”

It’s like trying to relax while you’re
being chased by a wild animal. Or while you’re frantically trying to
find your way out of a burning building. Put simply, our panic-filled
bodies aren’t capable of turning off the fight-or-flight impulse on cue.
We’re not equipped with a switch. Even a steadfast resolve to relax
will probably only incite further frustration over the fact that our
body is going haywire.

True story: during my very first
biofeedback session, the practitioner hooked me up to a computer that
measures anxiety via skin conductance (read: sweat), hand temperature,
heart rate, and breathing rate. As soon as she said, “Okay, now try to
relax!”, my anxiety level (as measured objectively by a computer) surged
upward. This is common!

Better response: I’m here for you. What can I do to help you relax?

You say: “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
We want to say: “Oh yeah? Then why does it feel like I’m going to have a (insert-severe medical-condition-here)?”

Classic line, often delivered by
well-intentioned close friends, family, and significant others.
Sometimes, this sentiment could be helpful — but only if we’re fretting
over the “Is this just panic, or is it a heart attack or a stroke!?”
question. Otherwise, it’s usually an unhelpful phrase that makes us want
to yell, “Yes! There IS something wrong with me at the moment! I’m
panicking, and it’s terrifyingly uncomfortable! THAT is what’s wrong!”

Better response: This must be uncomfortable. Can I do anything to make it better?

You say: “Sit down.”
We want to say: “But sitting down makes me more anxious!”

Usually, sitting down is a relaxing
activity. We sit down to eat, to watch television, and to read a good
book — and all of those events are generally agreeable and soothing.
However, merely assuming a seated position isn’t going to act as a
panacea.

The panic response sends a rush of
adrenaline into our bloodstream that compels us to either fight or flee.
It makes us feel like we need to be hypervigilant in order to ensure
our survival. If you were really being chased by a wild animal, for
example, sitting down would do you no good. That’s why the impulse to
stand upright and stay alert is so strong. Leave this one up to the
panicker: if we feel more comfortable sitting down, help us to find a
safe spot. If we need to pace or go for a walk in order to calm down,
let us.

While it may be true that our body and
mind are in overdrive, we often feel like we cannot control these
reactions. In the midst of a rapid heartbeat, a cascading series of
negative thoughts, and an intense urge to escape, having someone inform
us that we’re overreacting is not helpful. We’re often aware that our
body and mind are overreacting, but we may not yet possess the skills to
disengage our frantic nervous system.

Better response: If you want, I’ll wait here with you until this passes.

Even though the above statements aren’t
helpful to hear during a panic attack, some might be more appropriate
after the threat of imminent panic has passed. If you know someone with
panic disorder and want to be a great support person for them, check out
this guide.

If you’ve ever had a panic attack, what’s
the most unhelpful thing you’ve heard from someone who is trying to
help? Share your thoughts in the comments or find me on Twitter
@summerberetsky.

Stay tuned for the second half of this list — based on your comments — later in the week.

PTSD: 5 Rules to Help a Friend

by Suzanne Grosser

Someone you love has Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. PTSD sufferers need help. You want to help them. I warn you,
it won’t be easy. If you care enough about them to read this page, they
are lucky to have you. But don’t expect them to realize that for a long
time.

Rule #1: Do not take her behavior personally.
This is not about you. It is about her fear. It is about her anxiety. It
is about her pain. This is her post traumatic stress. It is not about
you. Understanding this does not make the problems (or obnoxious
behaviors) go away. But it can keep your feelings and your relationship
from being hurt unnecessarily by PTSD.

Post traumatic stress disorder is an illness. Once you accept this,
you can treat PTSD like any other disease. If she had the flu, you
wouldn’t expect her to be all cheerful and chatty. You would bring her a
box of tissues and some orange juice. You’d keep her company if that’s
what she wanted. You’d let her rest, if she wanted to be alone. Either
way, you would not take it personally.

You would encourage your friend to get treatment. She needs it, but she may resist it.

Rule #2: Set boundaries
Do not under any circumstances tolerate unacceptable behavior.

Do not tolerate abuse of any kind. You are not a punching bag or a
target for degrading insults. You do not deserve that and you will not
help your friend that way either. If he hits you, leave. If you stay,
you will only endanger yourself and you will give him one more thing to
hate himself for, later. Don’t do it.

Do not do everything for him. I can not tell you where the line
between helping a friend and being co-dependent is – but your gut will
tell you. Give as much as feels right to you. Do not accept the guilt
trip you will be handed when you refuse to give everything. Do not feel
guilty for having a life outside of his problems. Someday he will join
you there. But he’s not ready yet.

Rule #3: Do not expect much in return.
Right now, he doesn’t have much to offer. He’s struggling to get through
the day without losing his temper, or drinking too much. He’s doing
good if he can get to his doctor appointments and take his medications
properly.

You will need your own support network, because he’s got all he can
handle to take care of himself. PTSD is taking all his energy to cope
with. You will be putting more into this relationship than you will get
back out, at least for awhile. He may occasionally acknowledge some of
what you do for him. Accept that as the precious gift that it is. It is a
sign of his healing. Right now, it is all he has to give.

Rule #4: Do not judge.
She needs to talk abut it. It sucks to hear about it. Try to remember
that living through it was worse. Now, because of PTSD, she is going
over and over it in her mind. Reliving the horror everyday. This is what
is making her sick. This is the poison that is eating away at her.
Telling someone is like washing out a infected cut. It stings, it burns,
it grosses out people, but it is the only way to get rid of the poison.

Her greatest need is to tell what happened. Her greatest fear is that
if she tells, she will lose your love. You probably won’t understand
what it was like and she may have done things you both know are wrong.
She is afraid of being judged. She has already lost a big part of
herself to this trauma. She can’t stand to lose you, too. And if she
tells, maybe she will.

It will take a great deal of courage for her to talk about her
trauma. So please listen, and don’t judge her. She is still the person
you used to know. But she has been hurt, big time, and she is trying to
piece her life back together. In time, she will see her actions clearly
and make amends if necessary. But right now, she needs to tell someone
and not be rejected for the telling. Here are some tips to help you
listen to her story.

Rule #5: Have fun.
This is absolutely impossible when you are dealing with PTSD – and
absolutely essential. You’ll just have to figure it out. He won’t want
to, but maybe he will do it to humor you. He would rather wallow in his
pain, but you’re not going to allow that. He is stuck and you can intend
to help him get unstuck.

Watch a silly movie together. Gather some friends and play board
games. Practice blowing soap bubbles. Buy one of those giant soap bubble
rings and see if you can get it to work. Go for a walk and jump into,
not over, the puddles. Eat watermelon, and have a seed spitting contest.
If it’s the wrong time of year for watermelon, build a snowman instead.

Relationships and PTSD

How does trauma affect relationships?

Trauma survivors with PTSD may have trouble with their close family
relationships or friendships. The symptoms of PTSD can cause problems
with trust, closeness, communication, and problem solving. These
problems may affect the way the survivor acts with others. In turn, the
way a loved one responds to him or her affects the trauma survivor. A
circular pattern can develop that may sometimes harm relationships.
How might trauma survivors react?

In the first weeks and months following a trauma, survivors may feel
angry, detached, tense or worried in their relationships. In time, most
are able to resume their prior level of closeness in relationships. Yet
the 5% to 10% of survivors who develop PTSD may have lasting
relationship problems.
Survivors with PTSD may feel distant from others and feel numb. They may
have less interest in social or sexual activities. Because survivors
feel irritable, on guard, jumpy, worried, or nervous, they may not be
able to relax or be intimate. They may also feel an increased need to
protect their loved ones. They may come across as tense or demanding.
The trauma survivor may often have trauma memories or flashbacks. He or
she might go to great lengths to avoid such memories. Survivors may
avoid any activity that could trigger a memory. If the survivor has
trouble sleeping or has nightmares, both the survivor and partner may
not be able to get enough rest. This may make sleeping together harder.
Survivors often struggle with intense anger and impulses. In order to
suppress angry feelings and actions, they may avoid closeness. They may
push away or find fault with loved ones and friends. Also, drinking and
drug problems, which can be an attempt to cope with PTSD, can destroy
intimacy and friendships. Verbal or physical violence can occur.
In other cases, survivors may depend too much on their partners, family
members, and friends. This could also include support persons such as
health care providers or therapists.
Dealing with these symptoms can take up a lot of the survivor’s
attention. He or she may not be able to focus on the partner. It may be
hard to listen carefully and make decisions together with someone else.
Partners may come to feel that talking together and working as a team
are not possible.
How might loved ones react?

Partners, friends, or family members may feel hurt, cut off, or down
because the survivor has not been able to get over the trauma. Loved
ones may become angry or distant toward the survivor. They may feel
pressured, tense, and controlled. The survivor’s symptoms can make a
loved one feel like he or she is living in a war zone or in constant
threat of danger. Living with someone who has PTSD can sometimes lead
the partner to have some of the same feelings of having been through
trauma.
In sum, a person who goes through a trauma may have certain common
reactions. These reactions affect the people around the survivor.
Family, friends, and others then react to how the survivor is behaving.
This in turn comes back to affect the person who went through the
trauma.
Trauma types and relationships

Certain types of “man-made” traumas can have a more severe effect on relationships. These traumas include:
Childhood sexual and physical abuse
Rape
Domestic violence
Combat
Terrorism
Genocide
Torture
Kidnapping
Prisoner of war
Survivors of man-made traumas often feel a lasting sense of terror,
horror, endangerment, and betrayal. These feelings affect how they
relate to others. They may feel like they are letting down their guard
if they get close to someone else and trust them. This is not to say a
survivor never feels a strong bond of love or friendship. However, a
close relationship can also feel scary or dangerous to a trauma
survivor.
Do all trauma survivors have relationship problems?

Many trauma survivors do not develop PTSD. Also, many people with
PTSD do not have relationship problems. People with PTSD can create and
maintain good relationships by:
Building a personal support network to help cope with PTSD while working on family and friend relationships
Sharing feelings honestly and openly, with respect and compassion
Building skills at problem solving and connecting with others
Including ways to play, be creative, relax, and enjoy others
What can be done to help someone who has PTSD?

Relations with others are very important for trauma survivors. Social
support is one of the best things to protect against getting PTSD.
Relationships can offset feelings of being alone. Relationships may also
help the survivor’s self-esteem. This may help reduce depression and
guilt. A relationship can also give the survivor a way to help someone
else. Helping others can reduce feelings of failure or feeling cut off
from others. Lastly, relationships are a source of support when coping
with stress.
If you need to seek professional help, try to find a therapist who has
skills in treating PTSD as well as working with couples or families. For
resources, please see our Where to Get Help for PTSD page.
Many treatment approaches may be helpful for dealing with relationship issues. Options include:
One-to-one and group therapy
Anger and stress management
Assertiveness training
Couples counseling
Family education classes
Family therapy

The weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is
peculiar to him, and which worthily used, will be a gift also to hus
race.

~Ruskin

Never scoff at another’s weakness or try to cover your own. Instead,
encourage others and hold your weakness up to the world where it is in
the open and can be healed.

_________________________

Now let’s take a look at the Passive Aggressive personality. I’m sure
once you read how the passive aggressive personality operates, you can
see why it would be an exceedingly unhealthy situation for a P.T.S.D
sufferer to try to live in close quarters with someone who has passive
aggressive tendencies.

_________________________

Relationships: Passive-Aggressive Men, Who Are They Hurting?

He Hurts Everyone in His Path, Including Himself

Their the men who seem so nice, and
trustworthy. They don’t hurt you out in the open, but in a very subtle
way, you may not even be aware of. Just the same, they can hurt the
people they say they care about the most.
A passive-aggressive man usually grows up in a household which may have a
parent who is either passive-aggressive, or overbearing and
controlling. If he really has bad luck, he may grow up with both. Many
marriages consist of individuals who are opposites, or fill an area for
the other person they may be lacking in. It’s an unspoken deal so to
speak, you be the passive one, and I’ll be the overbearing one. As the
boys are growing up, somewhere along the way they choose to either
identify with one parent or the other. If they see the overbearing and
controlling parent as scary, they may come to believe they do not want
to be like that parent, and go the other way. If they see the passive
parent as weak and wimpy, they may choose to be like the overbearing and
controlling parent. What I’m going to write about is the
passive-aggressive man. When the boy decides to be weak, unassuming, and
afraid to stand up for himself. Ergo, he asserts himself in passive
aggressive ways. This ends up hurting allot of the people he truly cares
for.

The passive aggressive man is very often seen as the nice guy that
would do anything for anybody. He never says “NO”, at least not out
loud, to any request anyone makes of him. He is often everybody’s token
doormat. What most people don’t know is there’s a volcano ready to erupt
inside this man. He is too afraid to speak up and tell you what he
thinks. Therefore, he goes about his life sneaking around doing things
he doesn’t want anybody to know about., getting back at people in ways
that have nothing much to do with why he’s really mad, and not standing
up to the person, or persons, he needs too. He then ends up hurting
those he cares about, and puts them in the line of fire.

Often times when he gets into a relationship, or married, he ends up
choosing very strong, overbearing, controlling women. Remember, what I
said, people often pick the opposite of themselves, and then it gets
them off the hook for ever having to learn how to be strong, and
assertive themselves. This is where the problem begins. Because he has
chosen to be with this Witch on Wheels, he can never directly confront
her with ANYHING. He is too scared. This ends up effecting friends,
other family members, and anyone involved with this type of man. You can
be this man’s very best friend and if Mrs. Wonderful objects, you’re a
goner. Oh, he will keep you as a friend, probably, but it will most
definitely be behind his partners back. You will be stuck in drama
world, with a half-assed friendship. You can never call him at home when
you need to, he hides your e-mails, and you cannot spend anytime with
your so-called friend, unless you’re very, very careful. You will always
be walking on eggshells. It’s almost like your having an affair with
him, without the benefits. This ends up hurting his friends, because his
friendships are dictated by her. This is the so-called passive part of
his problem

The aggressive part of this disorder ends up not only hurting him,
but the woman he is with. No matter how mad he gets at her, he is NOT
going to stand up for himself, or tell her how he feels. He is too
scared to say a word. What this man will do, is while being the
all-loving nice guy and doing the housecleaning, his woman’s favorite
figurine might just accidentally get broken. He will sneak behind her
back, to see other women, friends, and to do things he especially knows
would make her angry. It’s the only way he knows how to stand up for
himself. You can imagine how damaging to a relationship this can be. It
can go so far, their relationship ends forever. Unfortunately, because
he does all these things in private, it may be along time, if ever, when
she figures it out. She really does believe he will always be the nice
doormat she fell in love with. This definitely works to his benefit.

Last but not least, this seriously hurts the man who is
passive-aggressive, more than anyone else. He never learns to assert
himself, and never develops the self-esteem to say, “this is who I am”,
out loud. Although he feels some momentary exhilaration when getting
back at someone, he also feels deep shame, that he is not being a real
man. He can suffer with depression at times, wondering who he is, and
will anyone ever really know him. He is stuck in limbo. He’s afraid to
be who he wants to be for fear of losing the woman he loves. At the same
time, he’s not even sure why he loves her anyway. After all, isn’t she
just there to make up for his inability to do for himself? That may just
be the case.

Although most of the time the passive- aggressive man appears to be a
quiet, nice, helpful, boy scout kind of guy, he truly is a very hurtful
person. He hurts his friends, his partner, his family, and anyone else
on his, quietly, secret, destructive path. This is a very serious
disorder, and any chance of change, will have to come with allot of
counseling, and allot of work on his part. However change is very hard.
The longer this man has been this way, the longer it will take to
recover. There is also the possibility he may not want to change. Like
good old Dr. Phil says, people do what they do because there is some
kind of payoff they’re getting out of that particular behavior. Whatever
his choice, to change, or not to change, this can be one of the most
difficult type of men to live with. That’s if you ever really know in
the first place!

10 Common Passive Aggressive Phrases to Avoid

Have you heard (or spoken!) any of these phrases lately?

Is there someone in your life who
consistently makes you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster?
Do you know a person who is friendly one day but sulks and withdraws
the next? Does a family member or friend consistently procrastinate,
postpone, stall, and shut down any emotionally-laden conversations? Are
you sometimes that person? If you answered “yes” to any of these
questions, chances are you may be interacting with a passive aggressive
person or showing signs of passive-aggressive behavior yourself.

In The Angry Smile: The Psychology of
Passive Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools, and Workplaces, 2nd
ed., passive aggression is defined as a deliberate and masked way of
expressing covert feelings of anger (Long, Long & Whitson, 2008). It
involves a range of behaviors designed to get back at another person
without him recognizing the underlying anger. These ten common passive
aggressive phrases can serve as an early-warning system for you, helping
you recognize hidden hostility when it is being directed your way:

1. “I’m Not Mad.”

Denying feelings of anger is classic
passive aggressive behavior. Rather than being upfront and honest when
questioned about his feelings, the passive aggressive person insists,
“I’m not mad” even when he is seething on the inside.

2. “Fine.” “Whatever.”

Sulking and withdrawing from arguments are
primary strategies of the passive aggressive person. Since passive
aggression is motivated by a person’s belief that expressing anger
directly will only make his life worse (Long, Long & Whitson, 2008),
the passive aggressive person uses phrases like “Fine” and “Whatever”
to express anger indirectly and to shut down direct, emotionally honest
communication.

3. “I’m Coming!”

Passive aggressive persons are known for
verbally complying with a request, but behaviorally delaying its
completion. If whenever you ask your child to clean his room, he
cheerfully says, “Okay, I’m coming,” but then fails to show up to
complete the chore, chances are he is practicing the fine passive
aggressive art of temporary compliance.

4. “I Didn’t Know You Meant Now.”

On a related note, passive aggressive
persons are master procrastinators. While all of us like to put off
unpleasant tasks from time to time, people with passive aggressive
personalities rely on procrastination as a way of frustrating others
and/or getting out of certain chores without having to directly refuse
them.

5. “You Just Want Everything to be Perfect.”

When procrastination is not an option, a
more sophisticated passive aggressive strategy is to carry out tasks in a
timely, but unacceptable manner. For example:

A student hands in sloppy homework
A husband prepares a well-done steak for his wife, though he knows she prefers to eat steak rare
An employee dramatically overspends his budget on an important project
In all of these instances, the passive aggressive person complies with a
particular request, but carries it out in an intentionally inefficient
way. When confronted, he defends his work, counter-accusing others of
having rigid or perfectionist standards.

6. “I Thought You Knew.”

Sometimes, the perfect passive aggressive
crime has to do with omission. Passive aggressive persons may express
their anger covertly by choosing not to share information when it could
prevent a problem. By claiming ignorance, the person defends his
inaction, while taking pleasure in his foe’s trouble and anguish.

7. “Sure, I’d be Happy To.”

Have you ever been in a customer service
situation where a seemingly concerned clerk or super-polite phone
operator assures you that your problem will be solved. On the surface,
the representative is cooperative, but beware of his angry smile; behind
the scenes, he is filing your request in the trash and stamping your
paperwork with “DENY.”

8. “You’ve Done so Well for Someone with Your Education Level.”

The backhanded compliment is the ultimate
socially acceptable means by which the passive aggressive person insults
you to your core. If anyone has ever told you, “Don’t worry-you can
still get braces even at your age” or “There are a lot of men out there
who like plump women,” chances are you know how much “joy” a passive
aggressive compliment can bring.

9. “I Was Only Joking”

Like backhanded compliments, sarcasm is a
common tool of a passive aggressive person who expresses his hostility
aloud, but in socially acceptable, indirect ways. If you show that you
are offended by biting, passive aggressive sarcasm, the hostile joke
teller plays up his role as victim, asking, “Can’t you take a joke?”

10. “Why Are You Getting So Upset?”

The passive aggressive person is a master
at maintaining his calm and feigning shock when others, worn down by his
indirect hostility, blow up in anger. In fact, he takes pleasure out of
setting others up to lose their cool and then questioning their
“overreactions.”

_________________________

The Passive Aggressive Man: He’s All About Control

Who is the passive aggressive man? Identify him and run for the hills.
If you’ve been in a relationship with him, you’ll know what I’m talking
about. If you haven’t be on the look-out because chances are you will
cross paths with a passive aggressive man.

Who is the passive aggressive man? He is that guy who avoids
responsibility and conflict through passivity and withdrawal. He is the
“Nice Guy” who reels you in with his adoration and once you are in the
game he turns the tables so quickly your head will swim until you decide
to take a hike. Do You See His Potential or Who He REALLY Is?
More from YourTango: 11 Foolproof Pickup Lines To Score A New BFF

The Passive Aggressive Man…
1. Withholds to Punish: He says one thing but means another. Sure, he
wants to go to a movie. He even appears to enjoy himself until later
that night when he rejects you sexually. You see, he didn’t want to go
to a movie but, his passivity would not allow him to own it. His fear of
conflict means punishing you in covert ways for something you “made”
him do. What better way to punish than withhold something he knows you
want?

2. Fears Conflict: He will do anything to keep from arguing with you.
He has been taught that anger is unacceptable. Well, expressing anger
in an open, honest way is unacceptable and not something you will get
from this guy. What you will get is a relationship with a man who avoids
solving relationship problems, avoids taking responsibility for
problems in the relationship and most importantly avoids making an
intimate connection with you.

3. Plays The Victim: This poor guy can’t win for losing, in his mind
anyway. He will not show for a dinner date but find it unreasonable that
you are upset. It is after, all his bosses fault for making him work
late. He could have picked his cell phone up and called but calling
isn’t nearly as pleasurable as letting you sit and wait. You waiting on
him gets his angries out at you. He gets to punish you and blame his
boss…he is off the hook, a “good guy” who is the victim of an
unreasonable woman who expects too much from him.

4. Is Forgetful: He forgets birthdays, anniversaries, anything
important to you will be forgotten by him. My ex used to forget he
needed something from me until the last minute. If there was a social
event related to his work, I would get notice the day before. I spent a
lot of time running around trying to prepare from something in a few
hours that would normally take days.

5. Is Afraid of You: They want you but they don’t want to become
attached to you! He is in a constant battle with himself to pursue then
distance himself. According to Scott Wetlzer, author of Living With The
Passive Aggressive Man. The passive aggressive man is “unsure of his
autonomy and afraid of being alone, he fights his dependency needs,
usually by trying to control you. He wants you to think he doesn’t
depend on you, but he binds himself closer than he cares to admit.
Relationships can become battle grounds, where he can only claim victory
if he denies his need for your support.”

You have a lot of anger toward the passive aggressive man you are
involved with. You just can’t figure out exactly what you are angry
about. He is sweet, kind and loving. He never argues, does exactly what
you wish. There must be something wrong with you or such a good man
would want to have sex with you, remember your birthday, put effort into
solving the problems in the relationship or just show up on time every
once in a while. How Do You Manage Red Brain Anger?

And that is the trap women who are involved with passive aggressive
men fall into, they become responsible for all that is wrong in the
relationship. He keeps you hanging in by doing for you when he doesn’t
want to, by never arguing, by being such a nice guy. All those puzzling
behaviors that send the opposite message than the other negative
behaviors send.

More from YourTango: Get Ready To Rumble! Pro Wrestlers Who Hooked Up Outside The Ring

That is why they call it “crazy making” behavior. The passive
aggressive man is very good at appearing to be calm, cool and collected
while you are going off the deep end. It isn’t his intent to frustrate,
offend or cause you to feel guilty. He truly does only want to help.

The only issue, the kind of help he has to offer comes with a price.
He has expectations he is unable to openly express and when you don’t
meet those expectations you get resentment and covert punishment in
return. And, you should never expect your expectations to be met, not
even when you’ve expressed them in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Want a relationship with a passive aggressive man to last? Become a mind reader and keep your expectations low.

_________________________

The Passive Aggressive

There are many childhood set ups for this way of coping but most
often there is a domineering mother and a father who is ineffectual.
There are power struggles in the marriage with one parent backing off
and withdrawing. The boy feels trapped between choosing loyalties at
home. He is afraid to compete with his father who is absent either
physically or emotionally or perceived as being inadequate. In the
typical mother dominant-father passive relationship, the boy learns that
the job of being a man in relationship is to escape the woman’s needs
and subsequent demands.

The young boy is not allowed to express his feelings and develop a
sense of self. He wants his mother’s attention and care yet he resents
her continual intrusion. His anger grows but he cannot express it so it
becomes submerged and is expressed in an unconscious ‘You can’t tell me
what to do.’ He is not allowed to get his way by direct confrontation
and competition so he learns to displace his anger through resistance.
He learns to use charm, stubbornness, resistance and withdrawal to
protect himself in power struggles. He rebels by becoming moody, being
an underachiever or developing behavior problems. His self
protectiveness and duplicity from the squelched anger and hostility
becomes a habit that he plays out with other women he meets. He
desperately seeks a woman to meet his needs of being accepted for who he
is, but puts her off with small, continual acts of rebellion. He
replays the distancing drama of his original family in the relationship.

The man with passive aggressive behavior needs someone to be the
object of his hidden hostility. He needs an adversary whose expectations
and demands he can resist as he plays out the dance he learned from his
parents. He chooses a woman who will agree to be on the receiving end
of his disowned anger. He resists her in small ways setting up a pattern
of frustration so that she gets to express the anger that he cannot.

The biggest irritant in being with a passive aggressive man is that
he doesn’t follow through on his agreements and promises. He dodges
responsibility while insisting he’s pulling his weight. He often ignores
reality as to his irresponsibility and withdrawal. He denies evidence,
distorts minimalizes or lies to make his version of reality seem
logical.

He uses vague language to sandbag the partner. Inconsistency and
ambiguity are his tools of choice. He withholds information and has a
hidden agenda. He can’t take criticism and makes excuses to get himself
off the hook. He sulks and uses silence when confronted about his
inability to live up to his promises, obligations or responsibilities.
When he doesn’t follow through, he puts the blame on his partner so he
doesn’t have to take it and accuses her of having the problem.

The man with this type of pattern shows little consideration of the
time, feelings, standards or needs of others. He obstructs and block
progress to others getting what they want and then ignores or
minimalizes their dissatisfactions and anger. He is silent when
confronted as he has never learned to compromise. He may be a
workaholic, a womanizer, hooked on TV, caught in addictions or
self-involved hobbies.

He may have multiple relationships with women as a way of keeping
distant from one fully committed relationship. He is confused about
which woman he wants and stays caught between the two women in his life
not being able to commit fully to either. He is confused and can’t
understand why the women get so angry with him. He feels others demand
too much of him so resists in overt and subtle ways and feels deprived
if he must give in to others. The man who copes with conflict by not
being there has strong conflict over dependency. He desperately wants
attention but fears being swallowed up by the partner. He can’t be alone
and live without a woman in his life, but can’t be with a partner
emotionally. He’s caught in a Catch 22–wanting affection but avoiding it
because he fears it as his destruction. He resents feeling dependent on
the woman so must keep her off guard. He makes his partner feel like a
nothing through his neglect or irritability but he keeps her around
because he needs her. His script is ‘Be here for me, but don’t come too
close and don’t burden me with your needs or expectations.’

He has such strong fears of intimacy deep in his unconscious mind so
he must set barriers up to prevent a deep emotional connection. He is
clever at derailing intimacy when it comes up by tuning out his partner
and changing the subject. He must withhold part of himself to feel safe
and may withdraw sexually. Closeness and intimacy during sex may make
him feel vulnerable and panicked bringing forth his deepest fears of
dependency upon a woman. The passive aggressive man lives an internal
loneliness; he wants to be with the woman but stays confused whether she
is the right partner for him or not. He is scared and insecure causing
him to seek contact with a partner but scared and insecure to fully
commit.

Due to the wounding from childhood, he is unable to trust that he is
safe within the relationship. He fears revealing himself and can’t share
feelings. His refusal to express feelings keeps him from experiencing
his sense of insecurity and vulnerability. He often denies feelings like
love that might trap him into true connection with another human being.
He feels rejected and hurt when things don’t go his way but can’t
distinguish between feeling rejected and being rejected. He pushes
people away first so he won’t be rejected. He is often irritable and
uses low-level hostility to create distance at home. The relationship
becomes based on keeping the partner at bay. He often sets up
experiences to get others to reject or deprive him. He is noncommittal
and retreats, feeling put upon and burdened by partner’s requests for
more closeness. He becomes a cave dweller to feel safe.

The man with passive aggressive actions is a master in getting his
partner to doubt herself and feel guilty for questioning or confronting
him. He encourages her to fall for his apologies, accept his excuses and
focus on his charm rather than deal with the issue directly. He blames
her for creating the problem and keeps her focused on her anger rather
than his own ineptitude. When backed into a corner, he may explode and
switch to aggressiveaggressive behavior then switch back to passivity.
He keeps his partner held hostage by the hope that he will change. He
may appease her and clean up his act after a blow up for several weeks,
then it’s back to business as usual.

The passive aggressive man is the classic underachiever with a fear
of competition in the work place. He cannot take constructive feedback
from others. His fear of criticism, not following through and his
inability to see his part in any conflict keeps him from advancing on
the job.

You are not seen as a person with feelings and needs. They care for
you the way they care for a favorite pair of slippers or an old
easy-chair. You are there for their comfort and pleasure and are of use
as long as you fill their needs. The sad thing is, they can sweet talk
you, know all the right things to say, to make you believe that you are
loved and adored by a someone who is completely unable to form an
emotional connection with anyone.

If forced to deal with the problems you’re having due to their
behavior, they will completely withdraw from the relationship and you.
They will almost never admit that they were wrong no matter how much
evidence you show. They have their own version of reality and will work
at making your view distorted.

While most men are having sex with their partner in order to connect
more deeply with her, the passive aggressive man withholds sex from his
partner in order to keep himself safe and to show her who the boss is.
Sex is a weapon to be used, not a way of connecting more emotionally.

These people are usually unaware that the difficulties they encounter
in their life are the result of their own behavior. They do not connect
their passive resistant behavior to the hostility or resentment other
people feel towards them. Dealing with passive aggressive people can be
crazymaking. You feel dismissed, shut down, ignored… but in a subtle
enough way that you don’t know how to react. At some point, you explode.

He Hurts Everyone in His Path, Including Himself

They’re the men who seem so nice, and trustworthy. They don’t hurt
you out in the open, but in a very subtle way, you may not even be aware
of. Just the same, they can hurt the people they say they care about
the most.

A passive-aggressive man usually grows up in a household which may
have a parent who is either passive-aggressive, or overbearing and
controlling. If he really has bad luck, he may grow up with both. When
the boy decides to be weak, unassuming, and afraid to stand up for
himself. Ergo, he asserts himself in passive aggressive ways. This ends
up hurting allot of the people he truly cares for.

The passive aggressive man is very often seen as the nice guy that
would do anything for anybody. He never says “NO”, at least not out
loud, to any request anyone makes of him. He is often everybody’s token
doormat. What most people don’t know is there’s a volcano ready to erupt
inside this man. He is too afraid to speak up and tell you what he
thinks. Therefore, he goes about his life sneaking around doing things
he doesn’t want anybody to know about, getting back at people in ways
that have nothing much to do with why he’s really mad, and not standing
up to the person, or persons, he needs too. He then ends up hurting
those he cares about.

Passive aggressive behavior stems from an inability to express anger
in a healthy way. A person’s feelings may be so repressed that they
don’t even realize they are angry or feeling resentment. A passive
aggressive can drive people around him/her crazy and seem sincerely
dismayed when confronted with their behavior. Due to their own lack of
insight into their feelings the passive aggressive often feels that
others misunderstand them or, are holding them to unreasonable standards
if they are confronted about their behavior.

Common Passive Aggressive Behaviors:

They rarely mean what they say or say what they mean. The best judge
of how a passive aggressive feels about an issue is how they act.
Normally they don’t act until after they’ve caused some kind of stress
by their ambiguous way of communicating.

The passive aggressive avoids responsibility by “forgetting.” How
convenient is that? There is no easier way to punish someone than
forgetting that lunch date or your birthday or, better yet, an
anniversary.

He may never express anger. There are some who are happy with
whatever you want. On the outside anyway! The passive aggressive may
have been taught, as a child, that anger is unacceptable. Hence they go
through life stuffing their anger, being accommodating and then sticking
it to you in an under-handed way.

The passive aggressive often can’t trust. Because of this, they guard
themselves against becoming intimately attached to someone. A passive
aggressive will have sex with you but they rarely make love to you. If
they feel themselves becoming attached, they may punish you by
withholding sex.

Do you want something from your passive aggressive spouse? If so, get
ready to wait for it or maybe even never get it. It is important to
him/her that you don’t get your way. He/she will act as if giving you
what you want is important to them but, rarely will he/she follow
through with giving it. It is very confusing to have someone appear to
want to give to you but never follow through. You can begin to feel as
if you are asking too much which is exactly what he/she wants to you to
feel.

The Passive Aggressive and You:

The passive aggressive needs to have a relationship with someone who
can be the object of his or her hostility. They need someone whose
expectations and demands he/she can resist.

The biggest frustration in being with a passive aggressive is that
they never follow through on agreements and promises. He/she will dodge
responsibility for anything in the relationship while at the same time
making it look as if he/she is pulling his/her own weight and is a very
loving partner. The sad thing is, you can be made to believe that you
are loved and adored by a person who is completely unable to form an
emotional connection with anyone.

The passive aggressive ignores problems in the relationship, sees
things through their own skewed sense of reality and if forced to deal
with the problems will completely withdraw from the relationship and
you. They will deny evidence of wrong doing, distort what you know to be
real to fit their own agenda, minimize or lie so that their version of
what is real seems more logical.

The passive aggressive will say one thing, do another, and then deny
ever saying the first thing. The passive aggressive withholds
information about how he/she feels, their ego is fragile and can’t take
the slightest criticism so why let you know what they are thinking or
feeling? God forbid they disclose that information and you criticize
them.

Inside the Passive Aggressive:

The passive aggressive has a real desire to connect emotionally but
their fear of such a connection causes them to be obstructive and engage
in self-destructive habits. He will be covert in his actions and it
will only move him further from his desired relationship with you.

The passive aggressive never looks internally and examines their role
in a problem. They have to externalize it and blame others for having
shortcomings. To accept that he has flaws would be tantamount to
emotional self-destruction. They live in denial of their
self-destructive behaviors, the consequences of those behaviors and the
choices they make that cause others so much pain.

The passive aggressive objectifies the object of their desire. You
are to be used as a means to an end. Your only value is to feed his own
emotional needs. You are not seen as a person with feelings and needs
but as an extension of him. You are there for their comfort and pleasure
and are of use as long as you fill their needs.

The passive aggressive wants the attention and attachment that comes
with loving someone but fears losing his independence and sense of self
to his spouse. They want love and attention but avoid it out of fear of
it destroying them. You have to be kept at arms length and if there is
an emotional attachment it is tenuous at best.

I’m about to fill you in on a little secret. Anger plays a role in
passive aggressive behavior. Yep, that passive aggressive spouse that is
driving you insane is angry as hell and full of grief. The passive
aggressive deals with anger in one of two ways. Either they have no
control over their anger or they have problems expressing their anger.

Adults who have no control over their anger and those who have no
idea how to express their anger are grieving. They are grieving the loss
of something that was rightfully theirs. Their right to entertain
themselves regardless of societies or their parent’s beliefs of what was
right or wrong. The right to be heard and cared for regardless of how
addicted a parent was to alcohol or drugs. They are grieving the right
to express love or negative feelings or a desire for parental attention
without fear of punishment.

It is about loss, the loss of normal things any child should expect
from a parent. Instead of grieving that loss in a normal way, they
internalize it and compensate by being overly aggressive or overly
passive. The grief shows itself in behaviors that are destructive to
themselves and anyone who engages in a relationship with them.

A man who abuses his wife is often motivated by feelings of loss and
grief. Feelings that are expressed through rage. Women who emotionally
manipulate their husband by withholding affection are motivated by the
same feelings of loss and grief.

The aggression or passivity hides their fear of rejection and
helplessness when it comes to getting what they need from their spouse.
The spouse is left reeling and wondering what he/she did to deserve a
slap across the face or the withholding of normal loving affection.

The spouse feels responsible in some way. That is the sneaky thing
about living with a passive aggressive individual. They don’t know how
to properly express anger but they are geniuses when it comes to
shifting the blame and projecting their own bad behavior off onto their
spouse.

Next time you are trying to make sense of some nonsensical behavior
by your spouse remember you are dealing with a wounded, damaged child.
Don’t make excuses for him/her. Don’t take responsibility for their
inability to properly express their grief and anger. Understanding why
someone acts the way they do does not mean excusing their hurtful
actions.

If a passive aggressive personality and a Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder sufferer team up for business, romance, or friendship, the
likely end result will be a lot of drama and hurt feelings. No matter if
the passive aggressive person realizes what they are doing or not is
irrelevant. No matter if the passive aggressive is aware or not, they
are presenting a veiled threat with their words and behaviors to the
P.T.S.D personality. The P.T.S.D. personality cannot help but sense this
threat. It primes the P.T.S.D mind for an adrenaline response and
begins putting the P.T.S.D. person into hyperarousal or hypervigilance
territory. From this place, it truly takes a small stimuli to take the
P.T.S.D. personality from primed for action, to a complete adrenaline
response/meltdown. The Passive Aggressive person’s tendencies are then
to punish the P.T.S.D. personality for their moment of weakness. This
punishment will then feed into the P.T.S.D. again creating a cyclical
hell that is very difficult to escape. I lived in this passive
aggressive/ptsd generated hell from November 2011 until August 2013. I’m
just beginning to come out of they cyclical thoughts and hell that
being romantically involved with a passive aggressive while I am
suffering from P.T.S.D. It is my hope that the research I sought out to
understand my own situation may help others on both the passive
aggression side and the PTSD side of this equation improve their own
experience.

The 6 Types of Pills Big Pharma Wants You Hooked On for LifeWho says advertising doesn’t work? Of the top-selling drugs in 2011viii, led by Lipitor, Nexium, Plavix, Advair Diskus, Abilify, Seroquel, Singulair and Crestor, none is taken occasionally, or “as needed” and the treatment goal is never to get off the drug, like an antibiotic.” This matter concerns the massive underreporting of lobbying by the American Legislative Exchange Council.

They survived the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But instead of bombs and guns, a growing number of U.S. veterans of these wars, whether they’re still deployed or back at home, are being downed by something else. They die in different ways but they all have one thing in common—at the time of their deaths they’re on a cocktail of drugs prescribed for them by military doctors.

Firms with the highest U.S. sales last year didn’t spend the most on physician marketers. Industry leader Pfizer, with sales of $26.2 billion, spent $34.4 million on speakers, ranking third among the eight companies. By comparison, Eli Lilly and Co. spent the most on speakers, $61.5 million, even though its sales were about half of Pfizer’s.

“Cannabis is remarkably safe. Although not harmless, it is surely less toxic than most of the conventional medicines it could replace if it were legally available. Despite its use by millions of people over thousands of years, cannabis has never caused an overdose death.”Testimony of Professor Lester Grinspoon, M.D.Associate Professor of Psychiatry,Harvard Medical School, before theCrime Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee,U.S. House of Representatives,Washington, D.C., October 1, 1997

Large scale studies have been blocked by the FDA, as with this one, involving 50 veterans in Arizona.Here is another study (behind a paywall) dealing directly with molecular effects: “Elevated brain cannabinoid CB1 receptor availability in post-traumatic stress disorder: a positron emission tomography study”. Molecular Psychiatry 18, 1034-1040 (September 2013)

It turns out prison guards are experiencing PTSD at twice the rate of army personnel. Maybe the prison guard unions will now get behind cannabis treatment and research for the sake of their union members.

Police officers struggle with PTSD,but treatment can bring stigmaHe began drinking heavily and left the department two years later. Last year, at his home outside Nederland, he killed himself with a single shotgun blast to the neck.

One can only imagine the stigma of using Ganjafor the stigma of PTSD. Gives suck it up a whole new meaning.

The Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)on the Officer and the FamilyThe following letter is from an officer who wrote it in the Guestbook and kindly gave me permission to use it in an article in the hope that his experience will help others. He describes many of the classic symptoms of police PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder. In fact, every distressing thought, feeling and behavior he relates below is a symptom of PTSD. Seifert is one of hundreds of officers nationally who have taken their lives in the past six years, many of them suffering from PTSD. It’s a condition long ignored in law enforcement, where emotional turmoil is stigmatized and officers learn to suck it up.

How Common is PTSD?Going through trauma is not rare. About 6 of every 10 (or 60%) of men and 5 of every 10 (or 50%) of women experience at least one trauma in their lives. Women are more likely to experience sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Men are more likely to experience accidents, physical assault, combat, disaster, or to witness death or injury.

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.

No shît… So a Veteran uses Ganja for war wound pain, gets busted and serves a mandatory minimum sentence. Then develops PTSD to go with the wound pain. Fat Pharma cheers.

Does PTSD occur in sentenced prison populations?A systematic literature review.All four papers suggested that the prevalence of PTSD among sentenced prisoners is higher than that in the general population, as reported elsewhere. Overall the findings suggest a likely need for PTSD treatment services for sentenced prisoners.

In Israel, marijuana research far from stuck in the weedsMechoulam’s research team was able to isolate some of the major compounds in marijuana, many of which had been previously unknown, including THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol). THC is the psychoactive compound in marijuana that causes the typical “high” effect, and CBD is non-psychoactive. Both compounds have medicinal properties.

Israeli anti-drug agency seeks faster granting of medical marijuana permitsThe Anti-Drug and Alcohol Authority this week launched a radio-ad campaign calling for quicker granting of permits for the use of medical marijuana.

“Do you know that coconuts cause more deaths every year than shark attacks?” a man says in the spot. “Yeah, and pretty soon you’re going to tell me that the Anti-Drug and Alcohol Authority supports medical marijuana,” comes the reply.

The narrator then pitches the message: “The Anti-Drug and Alcohol Authority supports expediting permits for the use of medical cannabis. The battle for your quality of life is our battle.”

Heavy drinking hadn’t helped. Nor had various pills prescribed by Veterans Affairs doctors. He was still angry, still depressed, still could not sleep.

But he found that marijuana helped. It took the anger and depression away. It took the sleeplessness away. Most of all, it took the 11-year-old boy away.

PFC Jared Hunter never knew the boy’s name. He was just some Iraqi kid who liked to hang around the U.S. Army base outside Baghdad. “He didn’t really speak English or nothing. He would just kind of follow us around and would point things out or tell us if there was somebody there who shouldn’t have been.” The soldiers adopted him as a mascot. Hunter bought him a soccer ball.

The boy was with the soldiers when they came under fire while patrolling an alley. When the shooting was over, he was dead.

If combat does nothing else, it hardens you to indiscriminate death. “You just learn to deal with it,” says Hunter. “Something like that happens, at that time you just walk on past it and forget about it. Of course, later on,” he adds softly, “it may come up a little bit or something somewhere.”

It came up with a vengeance on Hunter. He’s a 30-year-old Arkansas native living near Daytona Beach who joined the Army in 2003 right out of high school and served two tours. He was discharged with a diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder, a neat, clinical term for night terrors, heart palpitations, rage and the seductive lure of suicide. Hunter was almost seduced. He says he was sitting there with gun in hand when his father found him.

Finally, a friend suggested something he had never tried: marijuana. He says pot worked like magic. “It calmed the anxiety. I wasn’t having near as many anger problems. … The suicide stuff went away. I didn’t really feel that desperate to do anything like that again. I’ve got a bad back and a bad neck; it relieved any kind of pain that I had. It just helped so tremendously that it was unbelievable. Nightmares. … I could actually go to sleep. I didn’t have insomnia. I wasn’t scared to go to sleep. I could actually lay down and … get a halfway decent night’s rest.”

Marijuana had saved him. Then, last year, police came to his door. He still has no idea who tipped them off. They arrested him and confiscated marijuana plants he says he was growing for his own use. Hunter found himself facing five years in prison. Prosecutors offered a deal: Plead guilty and accept probation. He refused. He didn’t want to be branded a criminal and stripped of his civil rights. full story

That’s a shameful choice to impose on a man who damaged both body and mind fighting for his country And for, you know, freedom.

Last week the Colorado Board of Health once again rejected the proposal to add post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the list of conditions for which medical marijuana can be prescribed—in contrast to Washington State where the herb is expected to be approved for PTSD treatment on Friday.

The Colorado board cited a lack of sufficient scientific evidence proving pot is effective for PTSD, despite experts’ evidence to the contrary.

According to the Olympian, in 2013, the American Journal of Public Health reported that suicides among men ages 20-39 were reduced by an average of 10.8 percent in states that have legalized medical marijuana compared to states that do not. In addition, a 2014 study by New Mexico psychiatrist Dr. George Greer concluded that marijuana provided relief for PTSD symptoms in 75 percent of patients in a controlled study.

Arizona physician, Dr. Sue Sisley, the leading pot and PTSD researcher, has her suspicions about what went on behind the scenes in Colorado. More than 50 speakers gave testimony, only two in opposition to the proposal—and yet it did not pass.

“Several members who voted ‘no’ cited the fact that APA and other organized medicine groups oppose this initiative,”Sisely said, as reported by Westword. “I am concerned that these organized medicine groups are heavily influenced by Big Pharma. Obviously, Pharma has a vested interest in suppressing these initiatives because they have the potential to harm their ‘business model.’”

“It's surprising how many thousands of veterans are using it on the black market and just can't come out of the shadows,” she told the Olympian. “I feel we have a duty to these veterans to study this in a vigorous way.”

Meanwhile, two-tour Iraq vet, Andrew Collins, 30, told the Olympian that he has stopped using a cocktail of 17 prescription drugs because medical marijuana has helped him cope with the psychological trauma he carries around—trauma that at times has filled his head with aggression and suicidal thoughts.